This invention relates generally, to a cookware supporting apparatus and more particularly, to an improved cookware pedestal for supporting various sizes of cookware as used in the cooking chamber of a microwave oven.
The use of microwave ovens for cooking has increased significantly due to the improved speed with which these ovens can cook various foods and because of the minimal amount of energy expended in cooking, in comparison to traditional cooking methods. One limitation in the use of microwave ovens is that only certain types of cooking utensils may safely be used within the cooking chamber of the oven in view of the parameters involved. The utensils must be made of materials which neither reflect nor absorb appreciable amounts of microwave energy. This means that metallic utensils cannot be used in microwave ovens without recognizing the resultant inherent dangers. Another problem confronting persons cooking with microwave ovens is the uneven distribution of microwave energy throughout the oven chamber itself.
In most microwave ovens, the highest level of energy is experienced in the middle of the chamber while less energy is available at the level of the chamber floor or bottom. In order to avoid material which either reflect or absorb excessive amounts of microwave energy, it has become common to manufacture microwave oven cooking utensils of glass, ceramics or plastics.
Examples of prior art devices in this art field include the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor ______________________________________ 4,210,124 Husslein et al 4,249,464 Hansen 4,539,455 Colato et al 4,653,461 Eke ______________________________________
The above prior art disclose examples of non-metallic cooking vessels as well as the concept of providing means for elevating the level of utensils in a microwave oven to optimally utilize the available microwave energy. None of these prior art examples, whether considered singly or in any combination, are seen to even remotely suggest the improvement as presented by the instant invention.
Independent of the microwave oven context, various companies have developed ceramic cookware vessels with bottoms which are partially coated with a metallic layer for utilization on the flat counter stovetops employing inductive heating. Likewise, vessels are produced to achieve browning and even the frying of foods in a microwave oven and wherein the vessel bottom is coated with a metallic layer such as of zinc oxide. An example of such cookware is the skillet produced and sold by the Corning Glass Company of Corning, N.Y., U.S.A. The problem encountered in the use of such vessels in a microwave oven is that the metal oxide coating on the vessel bottom absorbs an excessive amount of microwave energy and becomes extremely hot. The result is that the heated coating readily attacks any plastic surface upon which the cookware is supported. This includes not only the bottom shelf or base of the cooking chamber but also any intermediate support member such as a trivet or turntable.
By the present invention, an improved pedestal is provided which avoids both of the described limitations associated with microwave ovens in general and at the same time permits the user to take advantage of the inherent ability of metal coated skillets to fry or brown foods within a microwave oven.
The instant device is preferably made of plastics and therefore neither reflects nor absorbs appreciable amounts of microwave energy. Furthermore, the present apparatus properly supports varied sizes of cookware at an elated position, toward the center portion of a microwave oven chamber, where cooking can be accomplished most efficiently. most importantly, because the present device makes contact solely with the outer portion of the cooperating cookware, which does not have the metallic coating thereon, the pedestal can be used successfully with a variety of cooking utensils to allow for browning or frying of foods in a microwave oven, without damage to surrounding components due to the significant heat generated by the oxide coated cookware bottom.